#truelife: i went behind your back...

confession: i recently cut the pacifier off Wubby because it is a paci for babies, and is not an orthodontic paci so it would cause all your new toothies to become buck, as in buck-teeth.

i did this one day while you were napping and then put Wubby back in the crib.

last night while playing in your room before bedtime, you wanted to get in the crib. i put you in and you immediately grabbed Wubs. i watched as you turned the pink bear around and around looking for the pacifier. i thought about showing you the paci-part, but then decided not to because I'm trying to wean you off pacis, and such (like the boob). 

i picked you up from the crib and you kind of like tossed  Wubby to the ground. i picked it back up and handed it to you and you did it again. i guess you only liked Wubby for his paci...

#sorrynotsorry

the nursery

i am so excited to share your nursery here today! it is my favorite room in the house!! everything in it has meaning. it is the one room that feels complete (however, not complete until you arrived!). it is a room that you can grow into. quite honestly, i wish it was my room :) i cant wait to put a "big girl" bed in it - Joanie has saved the one i used as a little girl; it was your great-grandfather's, then Joanie's, mine & even Aunt Mary's. soon you will get to use it as well :) ...get ready for a looong post!

this is not in your room. i saw it on social media and liked it. i keep thinking about printing it and framing it in your room, maybe when you're a litter older. it's a cute reminder that life can get tough, but no matter what God will not put anything in your path that you are not able to overcome :)

the doorway to your room. 

to the right is Daddy's and my room. i love being so close to your nursery. even though you don't sleep in there, i know one day when you "graduate" to your own bed i will like knowing you're close. 

standing in the doorway.

so girly! i hope you always stay girly, with a side of tomboy. like big-bow-wearing-blue-jeans-aren't-afraid-to-unhook-a-fish-kind-of-girl...ya know what i mean? Daddy is sure going to try his hardest to turn you into his little sidekick :)

your little reading corner. 

i told Joanie the other day to start looking for a bigger book shelve because you are starting to get quite the collection. i will go into more detail about each item in your reading corner the further down you read...

another view of your reading corner.

a view of your changing table.

this is standing at the other end of your room. 

pictures of Daddy :)

your Great-Aunt Bookie gave me these pictures; she photographed Daddy when he was about 2 years old. she was taking them for a photography class while she was at UGA. Joanie found the antique-looking frames and spray painted them white.

the dress we brought you home in. 

it was your Aunt Lele's and Noma gave it to me for you to wear. i put you in it all the time, it was our "go-to party dress". i remember dressing you in it as we were about to leave the hospital. it swallowed you, and i contemplated you not wearing it; but i was determined you leave the hospital in a beautiful gown. it will forever be my favorite of all your smocked dresses.

jenny lind crib, mFe monogram and mobile.

i had to have this crib or the room would not be complete. Noma bought it for you, along with the mattress. when i found out i was pregnant it was the first thing that i knew i wanted in your nursery, boy or girl, it didn't matter. its a beautiful crib that will (hopefully) hold many sleeping babies. i wish i could keep and store all your things so that you can pass them down to your own babies one day :) when i found out you were a girl i knew i wanted to hang your monogram. I'm not going to lie, you have a great monogram - nice scripty letters that look "good" together. haha! Joanie bought that mobile and it couldn't be more perfect for your room. 

another view of your crib. 

i used to have a mesh bumper around your crib until you used it to catapult yourself out. i felt like it made your crib more cozy, but its not like you sleep in there anyway :/ we (Joanie & i) hung the mirror at the end of your crib. it was from Aunt Mary's room when she was growing up. i love mirrors. especially in our small house. a strategically placed mirror can make a room look twice as big. it also helps brighten up a room, bouncing light. 

looking out your window.

another view of your window area.

the quilt on your chest is what initiated the decorating scheme in your nursery. Joanie found it at Home Goods and wanted to re-decorate my old room at her house. it was before we knew if you were a girl or boy. i literally told her that if you ended up being a girl, that quilt is what i wanted to decorate your room around. of course, Joanie being the interior design connoisseur that she is started going crazy (in a good way) with the design of your room. and luckily we found out you'd be a girl! 

the chest has been passed down from Joanie's side of the family, i think...i had it in my room growing up. it was white but Joanie thought it would be fun to paint it turquoise! i store diapers, baby wipes, and any extra baby gear that we aren't using. eventually i will store winter clothes in it because it's lined with cedar :)  Joanie randomly had the pink curtains in one of her closets. she probably found them on sale and couldn't pass the deal up. they're from Pottery Barn and they are lined, so they are perfect black-out curtains. the valance that we hung them on (which i wish i had taken a picture of) is from your Great-Aunt Jenny. she's an amazing artist/decorator. she's great at decorating and has a funky/beachy taste. 

Mama's rocking chair.

this chair came from your Great-Aunt Susie (Joanie's sister; you call her Susu). we wanted to keep the color scheme in your room fun, but not all over the place. that is why i had Joanie paint the walls a very light sandy-white to keep the base neutral. your crib and changing table are white jenny lind, as well as the bookcase and shelves. the rockers and curtain valance tie in with the natural color of the wood floors; and we played it all up with pops of color by painting the chest and dresser turquoise and of course brought in the pink to tie it all together!

view of the corner of your room.

this is on the opposite side/corner from your crib. 

your shelves, which hold nick-knacks & tchotchkes.

another view of your rocking chair.

the pink striped basket holds your blankets. you were gifted so many blankets when you were born.

your dresser. 

this dresser used to be mine growing up. i think Joanie and Pops bought it for my nursery when i was born. I've had it all my life and now it's yours. Joanie painted this dresser turquoise to match the chest. she's really good at painting furniture. Joanie found the coolest glass drawer knobs. they remind me of glass door knobs in old houses. if it were up to me i would replace all the door knobs in our house with the glass ones. i actually looked into it when we bought our house, but it was quite expensive.

a view of the top of your dresser.

in the evening i love to only turn on this light and your bunny nightlight. it makes the room glow and feel so cozy. i hate using over-head lighting at night time. i love the ambiance that a dimly lit lamp creates. plus, dimly lit rooms don't show a woman's age as much ;)

this is a picture that was embroidered for me when i was a baby. 

it hung in my nursery (with a different color frame). i think one of Joanie's co-workers (when she worked, HA!) embroidered it as a gift to me when i was born. my name is stitched on the rocking horse's rocker.

this is one of my favorite pictures of you and me. 

you had just turned four months old and it was your first beach experience. Daddy took us to St. George Island, south of Tallahassee. I'm sure we will take many family vacations here. Daddy and i love this beach.

your Herend baby china. 

it's one of the most treasured gifts you received as a baby. it's from Mrs. Christy. she has a baby girl grand-baby named Zoë. you haven't met her yet, but she will be one of your best friends :) 

your Herend china plate & cup, along with your baby moccasins (they don't fit you yet).

a cute picture of Ann Fleming, Christine & you at the beach. #beachbabes

i had this kitty-cat in my room, perched above my closet growing up; the crocheted baby shoes were given to you by Reidy Boyd, one of Joanie's best friends.

this Madame Alexander doll was mine when i was little. just recently you have become obsessed with her. she sits on the shelf and every time i change your diaper and you look up and see her, you point to her and want me to bring her down so you can hold her. it's adorable when you hold baby dolls. you act like their Mommy and hug them and kiss them. the "money pig" is from Tiffany's & Co. it was given to you by Mrs. Freeman (she also gave you the most beautiful Moses basket.)

this is an angel that was hand-painted by one of Ortega's local charities. 

the "changing station."

it has gone through so many transformations! Joanie was given this table by someone who goes to the Playschool. it's Jenny Lind and was originally a light pink, so we spray painted it white to match your crib. originally your pink changing mat was at the top. then as you grew older and became more squirmy i moved it t the bottom, and your toys were on the middle shelf. as you became more and more interested with your toys, i switched it again and moved your toys to the bottom, so it would be easier for you to play:) i ordered white wicker baskets to hold your diapers, blankets, etc.

the mirror above the changing table was from Ann Taylor (like the store). a long time ago, Joanie had a job at Ann Taylor (when she became an empty-nester and had to fill her time with things other than carpooling and tennis). anyways, it was part of a display and after the season, when they were dismantling it, this mirror was going to be thrown in the trash! of course Joanie being the furniture recycler/hoarder that she is, brought it home and it's been mine (now yours) ever since!

another view of your changing table.

i now pull your changing pad onto the floor, it's easier for me to wrangle you still on the floor than it is with you being elevated three feet of the ground :)

i really have to give Joanie all the credit in putting your nursery together. she has such a great eye for decorating and not only that, such a great knack for doing it on a budget. she's also the best furniture painter ever!

one of your beautiful smocked dresses you were gifted as a baby. this dress is from Hobby Horse; its sized at 9 mos. and i doubt you will be able to fit in it this coming summer (you will be 1.5 years old). this is why i hang your beautiful dresses to view in your room. it's such a shame to pay all that money and only get 2 to 3 months of wear out of them. smocking is such an art, and i really wish i had the time to learn how to do it!

the dress you were brought home in :) 

my absolute favorite! it was smocked for Aunt Leigh when she was a baby by one of Noma's friends. it is a very special dress.

Humpty's reading corner.

this is an antique Victorian children's rocker. it was given to you by the Nash family. Humpty was hand-made by two of your great Aunts (Susan Williams- sewed & Mary Owen - painted the face). it is one of your favorite toys. we take pictures with Humpty to show how much you've grown! the yellow crocheted blanket was made by Aunt B (Bentley). she crocheted it before you were born. it was the first blanket she ever made and that you owned :) 

close-up detailing of the smocking. 

close-up detailing of the smocking.

a peak into your closet. 

it is always packed full of clothes. you literally have a better wardrobe than i do! i love dressing you. i know it will break my heart one day when you can do it on your own. right now we have two different families that give us their hand-me-downs. i am so thankful for these hand-me-downs! we also are given toys. it's pretty much the best, because 1) you grow so fast that we would be spending a fortune on clothes and toys 2) you have a well-rounded wardrobe. 

your Moses basket. 

it was back-ordered for such a long time that by the time we got it you only used it for about two weeks. no comment on the messy closet.

a rack where i hang all my favorite dresses and such. the book hanging at the top is your first Bible. Gommy gave it to you at your Baptism. i haven't let you play with it yet because it has little Velcro pieces that detach and i don't want you to lose anything. 

the pillow in the back is a "Tooth Fairy" pillow. there is a little pouch where you put your tooth and the fairy will exchange it for money :) the boots were given to you by Martha Bradford. your first pair! we tried them on the other day and they are still big, but you like practicing wearing them and walking around.

one of the things i wanted to include in your nursery was a nightlight. when Joanie and i found this at Target i couldn't believe it! it was exactly what i had pictured in my mind!  

the two books on top of your bookshelf are Madeline & The Complete Tales of Peter Rabbit, which is why your Madeline doll and bunny nightlight sit on top. i cannot wait to snuggle in bed and read you these stories.

this is a painting by our friend/neighbor Raine. she's made you a ton. i actually threw away some of them :/ this is my favorite so far because she used the colors decorating your room. 

money pig.

i made this when i was in high school (11th or 12th grade). i loved art/ceramics in high school, and not to toot my own horn, but i was good at it. i could sit and paint/draw/sculpt all day if someone gave me the tools and allowed it. we call it "money pig" because that is what James calls it.  

another view of your dresser. 

these are our favorite shoes right now. the more you wear them, the softer they get. you get so many compliments every time you wear them. 

the rug.

this is a jute/chenille woven rug. its soft, and lined in the same pink as your curtains. another one of Joanie's "steals." i found this rug on Pottery Barn's website and showed it to Joanie. it was kind of expensive. Joanie takes matters into her own hands and goes out to the PB store at the Town Center. she locates the rug (which is laid out for display); asks if she can buy the display at a discount, and they agree. after a good vacuuming, and spot treatment, it was good as new, and i think we got it for like 75% off! 

Momma's rockin' chair.

your great Aunt Susu gave me this rocking chair to go in the nursery. Joanie had the cushion made out of extra Pottery Barn curtain fabric. 

warm blankets.

you received so many blankets before you were born that i ended up only keeping the ones i liked. these two made the cut ;) the monogrammed one has a hand-crocheted trim on it. it was made for you by Ann Fleming's great grandmother, Ella. the other blanket was given to you in another color and i actually took it back to Target because it didn't match your room. while i was there i found the same blanket in the pink! it goes perfectly in your room; it's also super thick and plush!

crib buddies.

your two favorite are Ovejito and Wubby (the pink bear/pacifier). 

i had the blankie monogrammed, because why not :)

last but not least, a picture of you and Daddy snuggled in bed. i found you two like this, all snuggled up. this was a weekend night and we had just come home from Leigh and Carter's. I told Dad that i was going to shower and come to bed, and when i came back from my shower you two were fast asleep. so i ended up making a big bowl of Uncle Lock's homemade chicken stir fry rice with yum-yum sauce and watched Sex & the City :) could not have asked for a better night!